Turn your vision into reality!

Your vision may falter but with the right input it will flourish!

You have probably experienced just how hard it is to start-up and grow a business – ambition can easily be stifled by the day-to-day grind. There are always success stories in the media but they don’t usually tell you the flip-side stories of what it really took to succeed and how many people fail.

There is clear evidence that entrepreneurs that get the right external input when they need it are far more likely to achieve their vision and make their business a success. That’s where our passion lies!

Based on experience, we know we can make a noticeable difference in weeks, and a significant difference within months. For several companies, we even doubled their turnover within six months (see Sales Improvement on our Homepage).

Mentoring

Mentoring

You know how lonely it can be at the top. Maybe you have ideas you would like to discuss, or problems to solve, but no-one to talk them over with? Maybe you’re just tired because you know your results could be better, but you’re just not sure how to go about making a difference?

There are many reasons why working with a mentor is a good idea, especially if they have held high-level managerial positions running an enterprise and/or managing their own company. They will have the experience to help you to avoid making similar mistakes. Even more so if they have been mentoring companies for several years, as they will have helped others to resolve similar issues to the ones you’re struggling with.

For over 25 years we have managed enterprises, and mentored companies at various stages of growth, from pre-starts and start-ups, through to established businesses and scale-ups. We are part of a nationwide network of business advisors, some with specialist knowledge in niche areas.

We guarantee that not only will your business benefit by our mentoring techniques and processes, you will too, because we take an holistic approach.

Creating Partnerships

Creating Partnerships

You would like to find a partner but have no idea how to go about it. Or maybe you have been dreaming about what your ideal partner would comprise. Do you know where you would like your company to be in five or ten years? What size would you like it to be? What countries you would like to be selling into?

Often, by creating partnerships with companies who are targeting the same clientele, you could cross-refer clients and help to grow your respective companies. Sometimes partnerships are created to help to distribute your product or service, to expand in your local market or overseas. Other times partnerships are created to tap into an existing sales force, rather than create your own, derisking the proposition and saving significant costs. Or possible you’re interested in forming technology partnerships to create a new product or service, or to add your invention to improve an existing solution.

Whatever the reason, we have helped several companies find partners for the reasons described above. Our clients are based in the UK and overseas and wanted to grow, using a number of methods. We have helped find and secure logistical, distribution, technology and/or revenue partners. For us it’s a bit like playing a game, finding the ‘missing pieces of a puzzle’, and once found, the result becomes far more interesting and there’s a ‘gestalt’ where the sum of the parts become greater than the whole.

Sales Improvement

Sales Improvement

Do you have a sales team that doesn’t generate leads or worse, ‘burns’ them? Do you believe the conversion rate be double or triple? Or do you have a great sales team, but you believe your company could be doing so much better, you just don’t know what needs changing. Maybe you sense the strategy isn’t working? Is your Board getting frustrated?

Don’t fret. It’s a tough but common issue and one that we’ve come across many times. Typically the solution lies in looking into a number of areas, and working on them in parallel. This would include going through a process that may involve training, creating a strategy, planning, implementing new IT systems, and execution.

Recently we worked with three companies who wanted to grow their income. Two were in the media, design and branding sector, the other, a non-profit keen to protecting the planet by reducing landfill.

Results: One company increased their revenue by over 60%, the other two enterprises by over 100%, compared with their previous year’s turnover – all within 6 to 12 months.

Work on the business...

...not in the business!

Often, when you have been in business for a few years, the business stagnates or worse, it can start to decline. Everything feels ‘same old, same old’ and you lose your ‘mojo’. You may reminisce on how comfortable you were when you were employed and knew your salary and pension were relatively safe. At least then you didn’t have the headache of covering month staff costs, the problem of cash flow, etc.

You’re not alone! Many businesses go through periods where they are reacting, putting out fires, worried about cash flow and not sure how to get out of the vicious cycle. An objective review of your business by an experience business advisor will help to determine the root causes; in a vast majority of cases, the situation can be turned around, often quite rapidly.

We thrive on challenges such as these and have helped many companies in different sectors to move from reacting to be proactive, gaining control of their business, and losing their mental tiredness. We do this by implementing what we call a company ‘MOT’, prioritising immediate and longer term steps required to improve the company health, and help the Owner/MD/Managers to execute the plan. Once the company has gained control, we look into ways to grow the company.

Scale-Ups

Scale-Ups

You know that if you do not increase your revenue, you’ll stagnate and possibly decline. You’ve decided that you would like to grow your business, but how? You have no idea how to go about it.

Or maybe you’re growing too rapidly and desperately need help to grow it efficiently and to put controls and systems in place. You’re not sure what to do first and have stopped sleeping well at night.

Well, you don’t need to struggle alone. Working with experts who know which questions to ask to determine what’s working, what isn’t, and what systems need to be put in place, can make all the difference.

We have created strategies and/or solutions for company growth for clients in different sectors, including electronics, medical, fintech, design & media, environment… We have helped them to grow by creating strategic partnerships and alliances, opening doors, getting them investment-ready and introducing them to financial investment that suits their company.

Business Training

Business Training

Are you a start-up and you’re not sure how to set-up and grow your business? Or maybe you feel you need training to move your company forward but you’re not sure what sort of training will help? Or perhaps your employees aren’t hitting their targets or are taking too long to complete tasks?

Don’t worry! If you feel you, your executive team and/or your staff would greatly benefit by some business training but aren’t sure what’s needed, a 360-analysis of the company and its people, will help to answer these questions.

Following a full review, we can provide leadership, sales training, market research and other training in the form of group workshops and 1-2-1 sessions. We can provide a wide range of training solutions so your company can improve rapidly.

Scripted Chatbots

Automation

Are you in charge of making your business more efficient? Are you tired of constantly updating policies, procedures, regulations? Or maybe you manage a tier 1 call centre where your staff get asked the same questions again and again and again? Wouldn’t it be great if this sort of thing could be automated with the added plus of having an audit trail?

Scripted chatbots can solve problems relating to the handling of ‘Complex Knowledge’. Complex knowledge is defined as the blended use of regulatory, statutory, policy, legal and procedural practices. It impacts all public sectors and industries, across all digital touch-points and devices. The time it would take to reach an answer would be massively reduced (day or hours to minutes). Imagine updating those policies and procedures at the touch of a button and having an audit trail! You would also see bid data patterns emerging of users ‘journey’ within the bot which could lead to improving the chatbot by adding additional information, for example.

Scripted chatbots can also be used to simplify decision flow algorithms into ‘bite-size’ questions with answers typically ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ or ‘not sure’.

If you would like to explore this technology, click on the link to learn more.

Start-Ups

Start-Ups

Do you have an idea, product or service, that you would like to get into the marketplace but haven’t any experience of going from concept to commercialisation? It can be a daunting task! If you have never run a business before or dealt with a new product or idea, you may not know what to do first.

Using commercialisation experts can help you to avoid making costly mistakes, losing money and increase your chances of success.

We have helped many companies from the start-up concept through to commercialisation, in many different sectors, including hospitality, fintech, regtech, chatbots, retail, electronics, medical, environment, digital media…

Public Speaking

Public Speaking

Are you looking for an experienced speaker or leader of an interactive, faciliated ice-breaking session? You’ve reached the right place?

We love speaking at events on business-related topics, and/or delivering interactive audience sessions. If you are looking for a speaker for a particular event, let’s have a chat to see if we can help to make your event a huge success.

I have worked with Lesley over many years. A true professional, she works very hard for her clients and to understand the dynamics of their businesses, and she has great energy and vision and is full of relevant and practical advice. I always enjoy meetings with her!

Nicky Androsov, Partner

To anyone looking for a public speaker, I would suggest that booking Lesley is an easy and excellent decision to make. She delivered a really interesting talk at a recent evening event. The audience were completely engaged, and definitely enjoyed the session, as judged by the rousing applause at the end. Her style of personal anecdotes, audience participation and deep insight based on experiences were a great combination. I would happily recommend her to anyone looking for an entrepreneurial public speaker with great stage presence.

Alex Stanier

With such a valuable HMRC incentive available we highlight the relevance of R&D to our clients and invite them to work with Linda of RandDTax to review their position and submit claims. Linda has been instrumental in securing the R&D Tax Relief for a number of our clients in a timely and professional manner and I would highly recommend her services to any client who is eligible for such relief. Thank you for making what could be a minefield a very painless exercise for our clients

GSM & Co

I am working with Lesley for almost 3 years now and I have to say that she is most pleasant person to work with, she is very well organized, always thinks 3 steps ahead and gives a new way of thinking, bringing her experience and her social networking connections along. She makes a perfect partner!!! I would recommend whoever is starting a new journey to use her services.

Lesley has been providing both superb mentoring through the Essex Innovation Program, where she has helped me remain focused, using her calm approach and considerable achievements and experience. She has also through her LAR Consultancy business been creative and energised to support my business with its commercial strategy and development and network. She is a joy to work with and at all times has been passionate about wanting to help success be achieved.

John Rawlings, CEO

Lesley is an excellent speaker and workshop leader, specialised in developing leadership skills. I participated in an interactive taster session on ‘listening skills for leaders’. We were a group of senior business consultants and founders and the session went down a storm. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other and it was great fun too. I wholeheartedly recommend Lesley as a highly skilled business trainer and mentor.

LInda Eziquiel

I worked closely with Lesley for a period of 6 months when she was the Managing Director of Maayan Ventures – Israel’s first technological incubator. Lesley is a true professional and a win-win person. Although she held the position of venture capital seed investor in my start-up company – Applisonix, she had been great to work with, even when disputes surfaced and had to be resolved. Her knowledge in qualifying the value and risks in early-stage start-ups is unparalleled. Lesley is definitely a personal and professional delight to work with.

Amir Barzilay

Linda successfully dealt with our R&D tax reclaim. RandDTax made everything very easy. Linda attended our office and went through every detail with us. Helping us identify the relevant information for our R and D Tax reclaim. As we went through the process with her it also opened our eyes to the fact that we met the criteria in every way and Linda help us make this clear in our successful claim. Linda’s talent at understanding a whole business quickly and clearly helped the process move forward to a very quick and successful claim. I am happy to recommend Linda and RandDTax.

Reg Groombridge, Co-Founder

Lesley mentored us over a long period and we couldn’t have gotten a better person to help us on our journey. Lesley is full of knowledge, understanding and always has your best interests at heart. My favourite part is when going over business plans with Lesley, she proudly announces her goosebumps and then instantly brings brilliant ideas to the table – a common occurrence when working with Lesley. Lesley is flexible and adapts to your needs, and is a delight to work with and is truly aspiring. I would highly recommend anyone to get involved with her.

Gerben (Jamie) Amstel, Founder/Director

I am writing to thank you for all your hard work and support in the successful claim against R&D expenditure. This is of significant financial consequence to CBH and will ensure our cash flow for some considerable time.

Constructing Better Health

We worked with Lesley in the early stages of our business at the Thames Innovation Centre. She helped us with introducing quality contacts to us and put us in touch with a local college to help with apprenticeship programmes.

Rob Hughes, Lift Engineering Recruitment, Training & Development

I first met Lesley when I enquired at the Thames Innovation Centre; she was extremely motivated, with incredible organisational skills, as well she seems to be connected to everyone! Although I didn’t go with TIC in the end, I did maintain contact with Lesley.

She’s since become someone I enjoy contacting whenever I “need to know” something! Lesley seems to have the answers or solution to many problems, and if she doesn’t then she will definitely find the person who will!

I’m looking forward to her assistance with my latest venture: ASG Engineering Ltd. a metal fabrication company, with her business skills I know I’m in good hands! Lesley is definitely the type of business associate you want working on your side!

Sophia Kusderci, Managing Director

Lesley is a straight talking, highly experienced, intelligent, results focussed, time saving business consultant with huge levels of insight and knowledge. Gone are the days of having to waste time speaking to people whom do nothing but float around buzz words that mean nothing because Lesley will not waste your time or hers talking industry waffle. She is amazing to have around your business and in the annoyingly short time we have worked with her to date (if only she would have been around longer) we have generated an increase in revenue of 62%. I and everyone at Ginger Nut Media would have no hesitation in recommending Lesley to clients, colleagues and the whole of the professional galaxy alike. We would have no hesitation in using her services again and we would unreservedly recommend that anyone whom wants to grow their business does the same – don’t use her too much though as we want her all to ourselves!

Phil Warnock, Managing, Director

Lesley is serving as the Head of our UK office and is also in charge of our International Business Development, finding new companies that can distribute our products locally. She rapidly learned all about our company and the market, understood our pros and cons, in order to be able to emphasize our advantages in her offering to potential partners/clients. All of the above is implemented with a lot of passion to succeed, finding new ways of approach, especially when the market was tough. Thanks Les.

Ofer Keshet, VP Marketing & Sales,

Peter Parsons

I have worked with Lesley for just over 6 months since joining MyCheck. In Lesley, I have discovered an enlightened consultant with considerable knowledge of the industrial field in which our company operates, including a detailed understanding of our competition. She demonstrates an in depth appreciation of our products and our company’s clients. She has the ability to work independently on both intra-company as well as external projects, executing them well in a pleasant, professional, conscientious and focused manner. I am confident that any organisation that chooses to work with Lesley will be making the right choice.

Itay Nebenzahl,

We’d heard of R&D Tax Credits but hadn’t done anything about it as we thought the application process would be much too time consuming, and then we met up with Linda Eziquiel. My experience of dealing with government was just too much pain for small companies. Thank you Linda for all your hard work with our claim and successfully obtaining Tax Credits for us.

William Pearson, Managing Director

It is my pleasure to recommend Lesley Anne to your organisation, her performance working as a Managing Director at Maayan Ventures proved that she will be a valuable addition to any engagement. I have known Lesley Anne for ten years in my capacity since 2001 where I had a role of high technology project manager and used my Information Technology project management skills to run more sophisticated high technology project, reporting to the Board of Directors and to Lesley Anne in particular.
Lesley Anne successfully managed Maayan Ventures, the parent corporation to the number of the high technology start-up companies with a high rate of the success and based on her work, I would rank her as one of the best Managing Directors I have ever had within my 15 years Information Technology and Project Management career.
Lesley Anne distinguished herself by consistently submitting exceptionally well-researched and well-written deliveries and reports to the relevant stake and stock holders, wisely scheduling and managing the projects budget, time and resources, executing risk assessments and mitigating those using extraordinary interpersonal abilities, precisely estimated work and project schedule by establishing a high quality methodology, which, in the end of the day, was a real cost saving to the program within the defined detailed project scope.
Lesley is highly intelligent and has excellent analytical and communication skills.
If her performance in Maayan Ventures was a good indication of how she would perform in yours, she would be an extremely positive asset to your program.

Adi V. Mogilevsky, M.B.A.

I met Lesley around 4 years ago when I moved my pet sitting business into the Thames Innovation Centre; I ran the business from there for one year before selling it and during this time Lesley’s advice and guidance was invaluable to me.

Lesley is pro-active and a ‘doer’ her positive and friendly attitude is an inspiration – everything is jotted down and dealt with efficiently and effectively. It was a pleasure to work with Lesley and I would highly recommend her on to any company looking for her skills.

Marilyn Lewis, Founder

Linda has been helping business owners claim their Research and Development Tax Credits for a number of years now with 100% success rate on claims made. She helps to ensure that your claim is accurate and covers all aspects of the claims process. She is detail oriented and really simplifies the process for her clients. David works directly with Linda at RandDTax.

David Duncan

We have worked with RandDTax to provide our clients with specialist advice and support in claiming R&D tax relief and tax credits. As a result our more innovative clients have made successful R&D claims, which has helped to fund their investment in R&D. We have found Linda Eziquiel, our lead advisor from RandDTax, to be knowledgeable, efficient and pleasant to work with.

Nichols & Co

Lesley is great! She has positive energy, clarity of message and a broad outlook that makes her relate very quickly to different clients. I was in one of her workshops last Monday – on the hard topic of cold calling, something that scares everyone. We were a very diverse group, including people selling specialists cinema chairs and retailers of medical lab equipment. I am the director of an urban strategy company. Our businesses could not have been more different, and the roles too: some people in sales, some people doing sales as part of a wider role. Lesley could relate very closely and personally to everyone, so we had (each of us) what felt like a tailored workshop of our own. I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn more from Lesley and make our business more effective.

Martina Juvara, Director

Josu Shephard

I am very pleased to write this recommendation on behalf of Lesley. I have had the pleasure of working with Lesley as a consultant for the last four years. During this timespan, she has helped MyCheck to establish our operations in the UK. Her assistance extended towards various aspects – from business development in securing accounts with new suppliers to scrutinising and managing governance issues. She has handled a full range of responsibilities and effectively multi-tasked different business areas with dedication and charisma. Lesley is a soul player who never fails to go the extra mile to ensure that all deliverables are met with the highest of calibre. Having worked with several consultants, it’s rare to find one that is truly dedicated to learning the complete dynamics of the business, and providing undivided support as a team member. From my experiences with Lesley, she would be an invaluable asset to any business and I recommend her for any endeavour she chooses to pursue. If you have any additional questions, I will be happy to provide further information.

Gil Hazan, SVP Business Development & Managing Director Europe

We are an innovative web development company, now in our third year of claiming R&D tax relief. We had no idea that we could get our corporation tax payments reduced until we spoke to Terry and Linda from RandDTax. We are really delighted with their service, we have claimed above £7,000 per year and it has made a big different to our company. They make the claims process as simple as possible and are easy people to work with. If you think you may be doing R&D I recommend you contact them.

Ed Hollingshead, Managing Director

Lesley Anne is full of energy and can be relied upon to get things done. She is a good networker and is not afraid to establish new contacts in unfamiliar business areas – an invaluable asset if you are trying to establish or grow new businesses. She ran the Enterpise Hub well and gave our company great support during her time at Canterbury. She has great knowledge of how to overcome challenges faced by small and growing companies – everything from business support to fund raising.

Case Studies

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